Children are dying in clinics from starvation in Gaza: WFP’s Carl Skau

With the The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), the institute that assess food insecurity, officially declaring famine in Gaza, the situation in the region is desperate and difficult, said Carl Skau, Deputy Executive Director of World Food Programme (WFP), in an interview to The Hindu in New Delhion Monday (August 25, 2025). Mr. Skau said there is international pressure on Israel to allow trucks carrying food to enter Gaza and the WFP is in constant touch with the Israeli Government.

A Palestinian children wait at a community kitchen before donated food is prepared and distributed in Gaza City, on August 22, 2025.
| Photo Credit:
AP

Mr. Skau, who visited the region recently, said malnutrition rates among children are spiking, and children and mothers are dying in clinics for starvation. “Right now, the situation is worse than we have ever seen it,” he said adding that the WFP has enough food on the borders to assist the entire population for over two months. “We have the capacity, the systems, the know-how to roll it out,” he said pointing that ceasefire is the only way to turn the disaster around. “We are in daily engagement with the Israeli authorities. At this point, approximately 60 to 100 trucks per day are entering, but that’s a drop in the ocean. We are talking about 2.1 million people. This is not a normal humanitarian situation. To reach 2.1 million people, you need at least 600-700 trucks per day and you need commercial sector to be able to bring in fruit and vegetables to broaden the intake of food to really be able to turn this trajectory of famine around,” he said.

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Mr. Skau said the current trade war is a big concern as it is driving up prices, also for WFP’s supply chain activities. “We have seen a three fold increase in the number of acutely food insecure over the past five years. This year, we estimate around 320 million acutely food insecure, and at the same time, the funding is coming down. During the start of the Ukraine war and the pandemic, there were generous contributions to deal with the international ramifications. But right now, the resources available for any international work is coming down. For us at WFP, it’s around 40% less this year than last year,” he said.

He said Sudan is the largest hunger crisis that the WFP has seen in decades, since the end of the 1980s in Ethiopia. “About 25 million people who are acutely food insecure, almost 10 million of those in the high category where you’re basically not eating every day. And we have 10 pockets of Sudan now where famine has been confirmed. That is dramatic,” he said.

Displaced Palestinian man Tayseer Obaid, who lives in a tent with his wife and eight children and has documented his struggle to obtain food and aid amid a hunger crisis, eats with his children outside their tent, in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, on August 7, 2025.
| Photo Credit:
Reuters

Mr. Skau said in the situation in Myanmar is deteriorating and the WFP is estimating that around 10 million people are acutely food insecure. “We are reaching only, maybe between 10 to 20%, of the people that we would need to be reaching. Another challenge for us in Myanmar is that many of the hungry are in areas that are not fully controlled by government forces and here we have access challenges,” he said. In Afghanistan, where, WFP was assisting 10 million people two years ago, it is hard to reach two million people because of the funding cuts. On the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, he said about a million people are arriving the country from because of the intensified conflict. “We have money now until November this year, but there are no indications on new money following that,” he said.

He added that the WFP is are far behind on the goal of zero hunger by 2030. “We are struggling. If anything, we are moved in the wrong direction over the past five years, but we continue to be determined. From WFP’s point of view, we’re doing everything we can — to be the voice for the hungry, to bring global attention to food security and we mobilise resources beyond our traditional resources,” he said adding that WFP needs partnerships. He said India can add its capacity and resources to the international efforts of dealing with food insecurity. “India is also a source of inspiration. There are many impressive and successful initiatives that have been taken here to deal with domestic issues around malnutrition those we want to tap into and draw as lessons that the rest of the world can use as they also deal with their food security challenges,” he said.

He was confident that India has the capacities necessary to deal with the issue of low ranking in global hunger index and the problem of nutritional insecurity. “The government has a plan and a vision to do so. I think it is also inspiring as I said to see the trajectory of India having gone from a country where we were assisting basically with food to a country now who has its surplus and we are discussing on how India can help other countries. But correctly there are still gaps and challenges that needs to be addressed,” he added.